1. Invention: Uncovering the Real Idea (I call this the Throughline)

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I don’t start with scripts. I start with thinking.

Before we ever put pen to page, I help my clients get clear on what they truly want to say. Not just what sounds impressive, but what actually matters both to them and to their audience. This is the hardest part of the process. I don't give you the idea. I help you find and refine it. 

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This means asking hard questions:

• What problem are you trying to solve in the audience’s mind?

• What belief, behavior, or assumption are you challenging?

• What’s the emotional engine of this talk?

 

I treat speech development as story shaping, not storytelling. I’m not here to help you retell a series of events. I’m here to help you shape meaning, deliberately and intentionally, so it resonates. That requires reframing experiences, revealing insight, and letting go of the urge to be impressive in favor of being real.

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2. Structure: Building the Invisible Architecture

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Once we’ve landed on the core idea/throughline, I help you build the framework that holds it up. I call these the Emotional Logic and Idea Outline exercises. 

Every talk that feels organic has a structure beneath it. It has a rhythm, a flow, a clear logic that makes it land. That’s what we build together.

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Depending on your goal, we will talk through different speaking genres that best fit with what you hope to accomplish. We will also map out an emotional structure that gets your audience to the final feeling you want them to leave with. The genre and final feeling are the secret sauce of any talk. 

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In short, I make sure your talk is emotionally and logically aligned, from start to finish.

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3. Craft: Language That Lands

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This is where we shape the lines people will remember.

I put words to your ideas by focusing on the way people feel with rhythm, clarity, and emotional precision. I believe in language that cuts through noise and sticks to the soul.

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We’ll craft:

• Clean, resonant lines (no filler, no fluff)

• Metaphors that illuminate, not confuse

• Emotional turns that feel earned—not forced

 

I’ve seen too many talks aim for tears or applause instead of impact. I help you resist that urge. Because when a talk is built right, the standing ovation is a byproduct, not the goal.

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4. Voice: Rediscovering Identity

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Since COVID, I’ve worked with a lot of people who’ve lost their voice—or buried it under what they think they’re supposed to sound like. Especially mid-career professionals, high performers, and thought leaders trying to sound "credible" rather than human.

 

My job is to help you unlearn the performance and reconnect with your actual voice.
Delivery isn’t about posture or polish. It’s about presence.
That means:

• Speaking with conviction, not just volume

• Using silence, emphasis, and pacing with purpose

• Being audience-centered, not self-centered

 

When you’re rooted in your message and your voice, people don’t just listen. They lean in.

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5. Iteration: Draft. Test. Refine.

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This part matters most. Great communication isn’t born in a burst of brilliance. It’s built through iteration. I’m not a one-and-done coach. I work with you to test ideas, rework phrasing, challenge assumptions, and keep sharpening until the talk works.

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I’ll tell you when something isn’t landing. I’ll help you find the version that does. And I’ll keep asking: Does this serve the talk? If it doesn’t, we cut it.

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What Makes My Process Different

• I think like a rhetorician and know what makes the best speeches work.

• I don’t chase applause or tears. I build transformation. 

• I shape the message for the moment, but I aim it at long-term memory.

• I balance invention with structure, and story with insight.

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If you want to be impressive, there are plenty of people who can help (not me).
If you want to be unforgettable, we should talk.